Trinamool using black money, alleges Biman Bose

Chairman of the Left Front in West Bengal Biman Bose on Wednesday reiterated the charge that the Trinamool Congress was using black money in this election. He said that never before have people seen such huge amount of money flowing during Assembly polls. Foreign hands, keen on ousting the Communist government of the State, were at play in this election, he alleged.

At a meet-the press, he said that the way a costly means of transport like the helicopter was being used left one wondering about the flow of funds. “These should come within the purview of election expenses,” he said. “The Election Commission should probe this urgently and it will surely unravel the truth.”

The “coupon-scam” exposed by senior CPI(M) leader Gautam Deb pointed to efforts to launder black money and the Election Commission would find out “what is what.”

Asked about the campaign costs of the Left candidates, Mr. Bose said these were much lower than the funds distributed to the Trinamool candidates and were around Rs.5 lakhs a candidate. “We neither need giant cutouts nor give contracts to conduct our campaigns,” the CPI(M) State secretary said.

The party was the first to submit its accounts on election expenses to the Election Commission, he pointed out.

Mr. Bose also mentioned that a Trinamool MP when apprehended while carrying Rs. 57 lakh in cash on a chartered flight a few weeks ago had said the money was being carried for business purposes. “I do not know which business house carries money in cash,” he said.

Expressing confidence that the eighth Left Front government would be formed, he said the people were politically aware and they would frustrate all the machinations of the reactionary forces no matter how some parties were pandering to them.

Wondering what form the change being promised by the Trinamool would take, Mr. Bose said: “Will they undo the land reforms and take land from the small farmers to give it to the landlords, will they send children now attending primary schools back home?”

To a question on reports of expelled leader Somnath Chatterjee campaigning for the CPI(M), Mr. Bose said that anyone, whether a member or not, was free to campaign in an election.